When it comes to political campaigns, it’s never too early to start fundraising. That’s why incumbents Gil Cedillo, who represents Council District 1, and Mitch O’Farrell of Council District 13 have held or are planning fundraisers this month even though they have not officially filed to run in the 2017 City Council elections.

Documents filed by Cedillo supporters with the city’s Ethics Commission included an invitation to a Nov. 10 fundraiser at Pok Pok restaurant in Chinatown. Suggested donations ranged from $500 for individuals to $1,400 for couples, according to the invite published by the Cedillo for City Council 2017 committee. Cedillo already has a challenger, Miguel Amaya, to represent the district, which includes all or portions of Cypress Park, Echo Park, Glassell Park, Highland Park, Lincoln Heights and Westlake.

Meanwhile, this weekend, a group supporting O’Farrell, whose district includes all or portions of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Echo Park and Silver Lake, is scheduled to hold a fundraiser on Sunday, Nov. 22, in Echo Park, according to the East Area Progressive Democrats. “Please consider giving what you can to support Mitch and make this community fund-raiser a success as he initiates his re-election effort,” said the group’s email.

Cedillo and O’Farrell, both elected in 2013, are among the six City Council members who have already notified the city about campaign fundraising efforts, according to the Daily News.

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He also appears to have run for (and been part of) the Pico-Union Neighborhood Council at one time. (According to Google search under that name.) However he is no longer listed on that NC’s website. He’d better change the authors he has listed on his Facebook page if he wants any shot of winning; books by Donald Trump and Bill O’Reilly won’t win over any of the groups that Cedillo typically panders to.

At this point I’m halfway expecting Gloria Molina to take up residence in cd1 and give it another go. Good grief! I’m just going to vote for the candidate that does the best Edward James Olmos impression.

We need real, basic, get-stuff-done leadership right now in CD1. Cedillo just wasn’t the right person for the changes occurring in the neighborhood. O’Farrell has done an amazing job and I truly hope he wins a second term unlike Cedillo whom I think needs to head on back to Sacramento.

That would be Gil Cedillo, who is now vehemently opposed by bicycle enthusiasts. He may not have the cyclist vote, but his incessant touting of immigrant issues (Dreamers, driver’s licences, etc.) keeps a good chunk of his district quite happy with this work. He knows how to tend his sheep.

Where is Jose Gardea? Jose, PLEASE RUN AGAIN. An uninspired electorate blindly swept Cedillo into office based on name recognition from the million or so billboards (paid for by the big billboard companies, of course) he had all over the district. Now his constituents have real reasons to oppose him.

And for those of you who don’t recall, Jose Gardea was Cedillo’s imminently-qualified challeneger, was Ed Reyes’ longtime deputy, and knows the district like the back of his hand.

Yes! Jose Gardea, please run! People will vote for you!!!
Jose Gardea has actually lived in the neighborhood for years. He KNOWS the hood, unlike Cedillo who headed down from Sacramento and ran for local office.

While Cedillo may be good on immigration, and talks the talk on housing (though I don’t know what he’s actually done), in 2017 the First District will elect a council member who will fight for immigrant rights, housing, AND a safe and sustainable LA.

“Cedillo has served the undocumented better than any other state or local politician” That reads like an endorsement of Cedillo to this citizen. The treatment of the undocumented (especially youth) is among my top three concerns and I will vote accordingly.

Cedillo refuses to admit that bike lanes and pedestrian friendly roads are the #1 issue in Highland Park. Closing Figueroa to all north bound traffic during the week and making it a bike only road will cause minor inconveniences but will finally generate the Road Diet that our people want. I understand traffic issues better than anyone–I grew up in Manhattan, went to Columbia College, and can proudly say I’ve never driven one of those 2 ton murderers you call cars. Bikes4 All. Fig4All.

BullSh!t. Absolutely NObody is clamoring for more unused bike lanes clogging up traffic in NELA. It remains an agenda without a demand and mostly thanks to the smug and entitled arrogance of cyclists like yourself. Brace yourself: The fad is winding down. It’s the “hip” demographic that is gradually being priced-out from moving in and those who’ve always been here are going nowhere. At the very least, I am happy to know that your vote is cancelled out by mine and I never fail to vote.

“Absolutely NObody is clamoring for more unused bike lanes clogging up traffic in NELA.”

Get a load of this. You don’t like traffic and congestion on Fig… surely that is caused by the non-existent bike lane. Oh what, 110 sucks for you during traffic, must be all those bikes clogging up your precious travel lanes.

Streets like Colorado and York where bike lanes have been installed see similar travel speed and travel time as before, with substantial economic, safety, and livability improvements. Bike lanes are really destroying those streets with that new investment coming in and new businesses opening and surrounding property values and home sales at all-time highs. Bike lane opponent’s silly “sky is falling” scenarios have pretty much all proven to be false (but why would you care about facts and statistics, right)

Other streets, like Eagle Rock Boulevard have bike lanes and are very easy to travel as a motorist, pretty much all the time.

There are little to no examples of streets where “bike lanes [are] clogging up traffic.” You are in traffic because there are so many people who drive and lack other choices. Keep fighting your good fight though, because the status quo is exactly what you’ll get and you can keep ignoring reality all the while.

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